The Type Of Noodles You Should Use If You Plan On Freezing Your Lasagna
Comfort foods evoke nostalgic feelings of cozy family dinners, and when we whip up tried-and-true favorite meals in our own kitchens, the flavors bring us back to childhood, almost like we're traveling back through time. And let's face it, comfort food dishes are usually fairly carb-heavy!
Lasagna is a classic comfort food dish, and whether you prefer the baked Italian dish packed with meat and cheese — like this classic lasagna bolognese recipe — or layered with fresh veggies, as this kale lasagna dish requires, it's incredibly freezer-friendly. While you can store cooked individual-serving-sized portions in the freezer to pull out when you're scrambling for dinner and short on time, you can also assemble and freeze an uncooked pan of lasagna to quickly throw in the oven at a later date, as Epicurious notes.
When you're in meal-prepping mode and opt to store your assembled, uncooked lasagna for an easy dinner down the line, the type of noodles you use can make or break your dish. Here's why.
Use no-boil noodles for freezer lasagna
The best part of make-ahead freezer lasagna is that the dish is a huge time saver in the long run. Forget that pot of boiling water and reach for no-boil lasagna noodles over regular ones, as recommended by Kitchn. Following your recipe, as usual, layer the uncooked, no-boil noodles in your baking dish for tender, rather than mushy, results when baked.
Keep in mind, though; no-boil noodles require plenty of liquid to cook through while they're baking, so when you're assembling, make sure you're covering each pasta layer with a generous amount of sauce and cheese for best results, per Epicurious. When it's time to pull your lasagna out of the freezer and bake it, wrap the baking dish tightly in tin foil for the majority of the cooking time, as doing so will create steam, helping to cook the no-bake noodles while keeping your dish from drying out.
Lastly, beware of common mistakes everyone makes with lasagna to whip up a cheesy, saucy, and comforting dish your family will remember fondly for years to come.